The School of Public Policy (SPP) at Central European University (CEU) offers a one-year Master of Arts in Public Policy (one-year MAPP) degree program that seeks to provide students a solid foundation in theories, which contribute to our understanding of the design, development, and reform of public policies in different institutional contexts, and at various levels of governance.

The one-year MAPP program provides students with a solid grounding in key themes of public policy and policy analysis as well as practical and issue-oriented knowledge that will prepare students for their future roles as policy-makers, advisors, and analysts in governmental and non-governmental organizations. Through the courses included in the mandatory core curriculum, students will gain a detailed and systematic understanding of how policy-making processes are shaped and influenced by both actors and political institutions, and how public policies operate and interact from the global political economy through to national and local levels.

The principal learning goals of the one-year MAPP program are for students to achieve and demonstrate an advanced ability to:

evaluate public policies and policy instruments using adequate qualitative and quantitative methods;

design and participate in the delivery of public policies in various sectors and institutional settings; and

undertake further studies in a self-directed and autonomous manner using reliable sources of information.

The program consists of a number of mandatory core courses in public policy analysis, economics, ethics, and methods. In addition to the mandatory core curriculum, students have the opportunity to develop thematic expertise by pursuing one of the following areas of specialization:

To complete a specialization One-year MAPP students must• earn a minimum of 6 course credits in the specialization they have selected and• write their thesis (8 credits) on a topic related to the same specialization.

Along with the theoretical foundations, the program also seeks to engage students in applied policy work where theoretical concepts can be applied in practice. To fulfill the practice component of the one-year MAPP, students can choose to participate in the Applied Policy Lab or complete an internship.

Program Requirements

One-year MAPP students are required to complete 40 CEU credits (32 course credits of mandatory, mandatory/elective and elective courses + 8 dissertation credits). At the end of the teaching terms, one-year MAPP students will write a research thesis under the guidance of a faculty member who will serve as the Thesis Supervisor. The one-year MAPP program also has a mandatory practice component that may be fulfilled via an internship or participation in the Applied Policy Lab. Students must do one or the other.